A few diehard Lakers fans are still clinging on to the hope they could win an NBA title this season.

Why? Why is the team itself still optimistic? Because they still have so much talent, something Kevin Ding explains at the Orange Country Register. That talent hasn’t been healthy or fit together all that well yet, the defense and bench are in question, but the possibility of what that talent could bring keeps title hopes alive in Lakers nation.

“None. Zero. Zero chance. I think Oklahoma City, Memphis and the Spurs are the three best teams in the West. I still have my concerns. Everybody is on the Clippers’ bandwagon. I don’t like their half-court offense. I don’t like their free throw shooting. I love Chris Paul. I said it for years. I thought Jason Kidd was the best leader in the NBA. I passed that mantle, in my personal opinion, to Chris Paul, but I don’t like their half-court offense.”

Earlier in the interview Barkley reiterated what he said on TNT — the Lakers look old and slow.

It’s hard to see the Lakers even getting above a six seed after the hole they have dug themselves. They are not catching OKC or San Antonio, and despite Barkley’s concerns they are not catching the Clippers in the regular season either. (I don’t share Barkley’s concerns about the Clippers, but we will see where they are come March and April.) The West is deep with good teams and while I expect the Lakers make the playoffs they have made their playoff road much more difficult.

Barkley sees what we all do out East — the Miami Heat are the best team and look like a force of nature when they are focused. The Knicks have had some backsliding of late and they still might be the most likely second best in the East (maybe if the Pacers get Danny Granger back and Roy Hibbert out of his slump they can step into that role).

They may have said that when Barkley was a Sun, but it was for totally diff Reasons. The Suns went 62-20 as the number 1 seed out of the west, and most believe to this day that the only reason they lost is b/c they played again a Chicago Bulls Team featuring the G.O.A.T. The Lakers have no shot at being the number 1 seed, as they struggle just to get to and above .500. I’m with Charles on this one the Lakers have no shot, but at least Kobe can achieve one thing over Jordan.. More points, lol..

Oh well… Even with things looking so grim, it was definitely worth a shot, getting all that talent together. If you’re gonna go down anyway, better to go all-in than have your chips slowly bled dry. Even with how things have gone so far this season, I would still make the D12 and Nash acquisitions if I had to do it over again. At least D12 is playing.

It’s too bad we’ve traded all our first rounders away for the foreseeable future though. Even late first-rounders can be really useful if they’re used properly. Oh wait, we don’t have a scouting department anymore? Never mind. Thanks, Jim Buss.

guys, please stop panicking, lakers just need to make the playoffs and they have a good shot. Every week people overreact.

You should know as a lakers fan that they love the drama, and the main problem with them is focus and effort, NOT ability. We hate to see them dogging it in games, but just watch when they have their backs against the wall, the lakers will come through.

Maybe the LAKERS don’t have any chance of winning the title this season. However, if that statement came from a former player who actually won a title I’d give it more credence. Chuck knows nothing about winning a championship.

Blame you for the repeated hiring of former players as “analysts” because people like you think that they “know more” because they played the game.

Winning a championship has nothing to do with being an objective analyst. Being a former player has nothing to do with being an objective analyst. Time and time again, I’m forced to listen to mush mouthed idiots breath their way through a painfully obvious “observation” just because they suited up at some point in their life. Not just in the NBA, but in every sport.

Now, granted, there are some quality former players turned broadcasters/analysts. I happen to like Barkley. But this mindset of yours is why ESPN insists on hiring every single ex player (hello Ray Lewis) to crowd their tables and drown each other out with “insider knowledge”.

Bernard King was a little before Barkley’s time (I believe), but I meant King was a great, great player whom has never won a title either. Barkley ain’t dumb. Just ask his accountant, who probably graduated from Princeton.

King carried an ordinary at best team into the playoffs and beat a superior, deeper Detroit team nearly all by himself. And pushed Boston as well. How many stars could do as much? Not many, I assure you.

How is it that the lakers are too old and slow now but before the season barkley and other analysts admitted that they have a chance? This team has not been full strength and all of a sudden they don’t even have an outside chance? That’s poor judgement by Barkley.

They have only had all their starters together for a handfull of games. Their coach is rather new and they will still be learning his system and improving by the playoffs. Being old hurts teams in the regular season, with the back to back games and travel. But in the playoffs, with the slowed down game pace, less travel, and no back to backs, being old is not the worst thing.

I still think the way this lakers team is built is championship-caliber, and I’m not jumping off the bandwagon in freaking january.

The reason they have no shot is because they’ll have to beat 4 of these 5 in a row in 7 game series: Miami, OKC, SA, Memphis, LAC. I can see them beating one, and maybe two, but four? No shot is correct Sir Charles.

In a row? Not gonna happen. The advantage those teams have (especially Miami) is they get to play weaker opponents for at least one round. Also, the Lakers won’t have home court, making it much more difficult for Stern to fix games for them, their only realistic chance of winning the title. Sorry, its all about next year Laker fans.

You bring up a good point though about getting to play weaker opponents. Maybe that gives them more rest so it’s an advantage for miami.

Another argument is that playing better opponents actually elevates your level of play. You get used to grinding it out and I think it’s actually good that the lakers play good teams, it will bring the best out of them.

zacksdad: True enough. But 80% of our fanbase didn’t have our team placed in the finals before a game was played.

Skids: I know

I find it funny when people make fun of a person, or disregard their opinion because “they never won a title”.
That argument makes no sense. He played the game for years, has been an analyst for several more. The guy knows basketball.
Something tells me even if a guy who won a title said this, there would be some caveat about how his opinion doesn’t matter because he won his titles in the 60s, 70s, or 80s etc.

Maybe Stern could arrange an NBA version of the NIT in which the Celtics and Lakers could compete to see if they can meet each other in the finals for one more grand matchup before they get sold off to China.

zack: The big difference between the 2 fanbases is that the lakers fanbase had them in the finals before a game was played. Why wouldn’t non lakers fans revel in the fact that they stink?

skids: I know, and the dummy is goading me to rip him a new one. You’d think he’d get sick of looking ignorant- guess not.

The argument that a player hasn’t won a title so he can’t make a statement of fact is completey moronic.
Hes played and analyzed more basketball than all of us put together. If a certain analyst that has won titles said the same thing, you lakers fans would have some reason to tear him down.
You’re delusional if you think this is a,title team. You can’t face facts. Good God.

Not talking to you, bunghole bandit. Mind your own business, bend over boy.

saint1997 - Jan 6, 2013 at 6:22 AM

hahahah oh thank you for making my day. Seriously thank you. hahahha jesus i laugh so hard when sad little men make gay slurs on the internet to people they don’t know, because they honestly don’t get how stupid they sound. hahaha oh man you sir should be a stand up comedian

He’s right ,they do look old and slow. they look like that team the Harlem Globetrotters always beat. Us Laker fans only have the genius of Jimmy Buss for enhancing that flaw by hiring the wrong coach for the team! I can only hope that Jerry buss gives Jeannie the Lakers G.M. job as a wedding present and jettisons sonny boy to grooming his race horses!

I think the Lakers have a 50% chance of winning the title. Little Caesar wants a Heat-Lakers “The Finals” (because those two teams from glamor towns sell the most sh**) and IMO he’ll have his flunkies do what’s necessary to get it, and from there he may let things evolve their own way.

Also, I don’t think Barkley has that much of an idea of who can win it. His opinions are so consistently all over the place that you’d think he was an ESPN reporter bringing a “hot ‘news’ item” to us “FIRST!!!” Charles’ job is to be outspoken; accuracy is optional.

Cmon sausage wallet, you can do better than that, can’t y…..wait look who I’m talking to.

A 38 year old that worships large black men ,all the while acting like a lovestruck middle school girl, is talking about my success with women?

bozo/lakerluver I’ll put in your terms.
You haven’t had puh c since puh c had you.
Your homoerotic altar ego of bozo, shows where your tastes lie.
Why are you even attempting to do verbal battle with me? I’ve made you a laughingstock. I tried to give you an out, yet you keep coming back for more.

No more posting tonight from you. First off, the lakers will get spanked. Secondly, isn’t Friday night getting poked in the fartbox night for you and your fella?

A.) Spurs aren’t the oldest team in the NBA
B.) Why wouldn’t Chuck know what he’s talking about? He played the game at a HoF level for years, as opposed to commenters who just read a few blogs a day.
C.) Lakers won’t even make the playoffs, so you don’t need to worry about beating ONE team, let alone a couple in a row.
D.) Lakerluver, you forgot that you’re supposed to use the Bozo handle when the Lakers are losing.